Saturday rain washed out profits

When the 82nd Windsor Street Dance became waterlogged from a half-inch of rain, the band kept playing – until lightning cracked.

The concert ended early for the first time in Windsor history and washed away profits from one of the biggest fund-raising events for Windsor groups.

While dancers may have been left with wet soggy shoes and wet clothes, community groups were the ones that took a bath. Because of the thousands of people who come to Windsor for Harvest Festival, the weekend celebration is considered the fund-raising opportunity of the year.

The Windsor Chamber of Commerce organized the concert, paid for the band and obtained the liquor license. The dance is the chamber’s biggest annual fund-raising event, raising anywhere from

$10,000-$12,000 a year. Windsor High School’s after-prom committee has operated concessions for the past three years and typically raises $2,000-3,000.

Sally Seilbach, an after-prom committee member, said the group was set up to sell novelties such as glow necklaces and plenty of hot dogs, burgers and chips with cheese. After the rain came, volunteers literally had to eat the profits.

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“We just kind of huddled under the shelter and ate the hamburgers and nachos we made,” Seilbach said.

The group did not make any money to go toward the $10,000 needed to throw the after-prom party. While the volunteer food vendors were huddling, the Windsor chamber folks were dealing with their own problems.

The band the chamber had contracted with, Kenny Cordova and the Olde Rock Band, said playing through wasn’t a problem, even with all the electric sound equipment. The problem was the lightning, and Kenny and his band don’t do lightening, said the chamber’s Connie Rutz.

“We tried the best we could but you can’t fight Mother Nature,” Rutz said. The chamber sought to reschedule the concert on Labor Day, but their liquor license was only good for the day of the dance. Wet tents and tables were taken down and packed away to use next year.

Fortunately for both organizations, planning for a rainy day has helped mitigate losses. Chamber has discussed the potential for bad weather on an day of an outdoor chamber event, but it has never come to fruition. Pat Varney, the chamber’s treasurer, said an aptly-named rainy-day fund has been amassed and can be used to offset the street dance losses.

“We’ll be fine from a financial standpoint,” Varney said.

Some smaller events like after-hours parties or advertising could be cut back to save money, Varney said.

The after-prom committee also has some money left over from last year that can be used if needed, Seilbach said, but they’ll avoid dipping into savings if possible. Another fund-raiser earlier this summer, a peach sale, netted about $6,000 – $2,000 more than last year.

To make up the rest, the after-prom committee will try to get more donations from local businesses and community members.

“We’ll just hope for a lot of donations before we get into the savings,” Seilbach said.